Reekado Banks has the deft touch of a pro.
Real name: Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon Stage name: Reekado Banks Date of birth: December 6, 1993 State of Origin: Ondo Nationality: Nigerian Genre: Afro Pop, R & B
Reekado Banks is a Nigerian singer and songwriter who has become a household name in the country due to his unique gift of being able to reach across fans of all ages with his remarkable voice and cool-sounding music.
He is the last child in a music-oriented family and his dad is a clergyman while his mother is a caterer. His older brother is a music producer and his elder sister is a gospel singer.
Reekado grew up in a disciplined home as a result of his parents’ close ties to Christianity. He finished his secondary education at the age of 14 and started recording songs in 2008, first going by the stage name Spicy.
His brother produced all his earlier songs, tutoring him on the basics of singing, writing, and producing. He later adopted the stage name ‘Reekado Banks’, a combination of the meanings of two names; ‘Reekado’ which translates as ‘strong ruler’ and ‘Banks’ which is loosely associated with wealth.
Reekado graduated from the University of Lagos in 2014 with a degree in History and Strategic Study. His brother submitted some of his songs that same year to Mavin Records in an online talent search and he got signed after his entries were selected from over 5,000 tracks.
He premiered the single Turn It Up in on 21 February 2014, the day he signed with Mavin Records and it became his first official single under the label. The song features Tiwa Savage.
The 26-year-old singer was declared the Rookie of the Year at The Headies 2014 and went on to win the controversial Next Rated award at The Headies 2015.
He was part of the critically acclaimed song Dorobucci alongside Don Jazzy, Korede Bello, Tiwa Savage, D’Ja, Dr. SID, and D’Prince.
Reekado worked with some of the artists mentioned above to release three collaborative singles; Adaobi, Arise, and Looku Looku.
He released the Don Jazzy produced song Katapot in February 2015. It was rumored to be a diss track geared towards D’banj and Wande Coal. The two artists had parted ways with defunct Mo’ Hits Records. Don Jazzy in a series of tweets debunked the rumors and Reekado himself while speaking to Vanguard Newspaper said he created Katapot for his fans.
Reekado signed an endorsement deal with telecommunications giant Globacom in July 2015 and his debut album Spotlight was released on September 1, 2016. It made the number 10 position on the Billboard World Album Chart.
The singer announced his departure from Mavin Records (after a period of five years) on December 7, 2018, revealing the launch of his independent outfit Banks Music.
Reekado Banks has stated that he is a versatile artist who makes music to cater to the different types of people who have different musical tastes.
He cites Don Jazzy, 2baba, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Olamide, and M.I. as his musical inspirations and as an artist who still has a lot to offer, the only way he can go is up.
